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Sanding handle material down to the steel

Dave, I started out assembling knives in my apartment. I didn't have a laundry room, so I just set up in the dinette and prayed I could keep the place almost clean.

I've recently moved shop into a friends detached garage. It's been nice for both of us, he gets to learn what little I know and start this journey himself, and I get to grind blades. I really didn't want to do that in my apartment. :D
I also get to HT my own simple carbon blades now.

Keep in there. Do what you like doing and maybe an opportunity will open up for you!

Walter
 
keep in mind, I'm talking about quality files made of quality steel! Nicholson brand is widely available and works well for this type project. (They work well as files, too! ;) )El Cheapo files made of case-hardened junk steel will NOT make a good knife. You're taking advantage of the fact that the file is already quenched (hardened). It will need to be tempered back some more or it will be much too brittle to make a good a knife... not to mention being a real bitch to grind/shape.

daveinvegas said:
James, Can you work files with a propane torch?
Click to expand...
You can temper them back (make them less brittle) in your kitchen oven. Start at 400F for at least an hour... this will soften it just enough to let you shape them with another file. (Obviously a grinder is faster, but we're talking about an apartment shop... been there, done that ;) ) If the steel turns a nice straw/bronze color, you're in the right neighborhood. See here for a color/temp chart.

After the blade is shaped and sharpened, test the edge against a brass rod. If the edge chips or won't flex at all, toss it back in the oven, 25 degrees hotter than the first time, for another hour. Continue as needed.

You "can" use a propane torch to further temper the tang and/or spine of your blade. It's touchy though, because propane torches aren't all that hot, so they heat up the steel slowly and that makes it hard to keep the heat localized. You definitely don't want to turn the steel purple or blue anywhere near the edge; it will then be too soft to hold a good edge. I would not reccomend a propane torch for general tempering, nor for use on small blades.

As for converting a 110 to an auto; I have no idea, I'm not a folder guy. Maybe ask in the Buck forum, or Maintenance, Tinkering and Embellishment. Be advised that auto's are illegal in lots of places.
 
James,

Thanks for the HT info.

It's my understanding autos can legally be sold but not possessed here. Go figger. You can buy them at my local knife store but you better take right home and put em in the safe. I have two. Strictly collectibles.
 
Walter,

It's tough keeping the place straightened up. I'm also making gun display stands and other items that I sell on ebay. There's wood dust EVERYPLACE. Vacuuming all the time.
 
Hi Dave, nothing wrong with working with kits and production knives, no need to make your own if you're not setup for it or not interested. Dennis Greenbaum made a bit of a name for himself as a customizer and worked for many years on other's blades before he made his own. Some people have different interests.

There are some very good makers in your neck of the woods, you might want to ask around a bit to see some folks' shops. Dr. Jim Hrisoulas is near you.
 
Dave
You sure you are not my long lost brother?
Building 1911's, making gun grips, dabbling in knives and spinning cad.
We have a few things in common it sounds like, too bad your not closer I have a feeling we might get along.
As for the propane torch and files, if you mean can you anneal w a propane torch. I doubt it, better off making a small forge. Or better yet ask a friend to anneal several for you. Goodluck with your new hobby, Oh forgot to mention I used to use my sander for shaping knife handles but now generally use a very coarse half round file and tend to get more symmetrical shapes from one side to the other now. Really goes fast and I enjoy it better than using the sander.
Chris
 
Chris,

Yeah, but do you have a handlebar mustache?

That's a good idea about asking someone else to anneal the file. I'll have to find someone in Vegas.

Yesterday I tried my hand at some file work on the spine of a blade I had. I'm not terribly disappointed at my first effort but I am going to try to do better on the other side (I posted a photo).

What is your CAD specialty? What is your favorite 1911?
 
Can't say I have a handlebar mustache, so maybe we are just long lost cousins. I like the filework on the spine you did, have not given that a try yet myself.
The cad program I use is Solidworks and I do electronics enclosures, mostly small run govt work that is either machined or plastic injection molded.
As for a 1911 my favorite to build off of is either a Springfield or a colt depending on the wallet size of the customer. As for a out of the box 1911 I am particular to the Wilson models.
Chris
 
Chris,

The file work was interesting to do but my hand is still sore and stiff. I need to make a larger handle for the file. That blade is a cheap pakistan letter opener. The steel is hard but the blade is not valuable so I figgered it would be a good way to practice. I checked a seller who has a letter opener kit for sale but he is asking more for that than I've paid for some nice knife blades. The file work is a bit uneven. I am of two minds about this. One one hand it isn't as precise as I would like but on the other hand it also looks like it was done by hand giving it a personal touch look. What do you think?
 
Personal touch vs. precision is a tricky thing. I'm not the most anal guy around, but I do tend to feel that if it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. I aspire to doing hand-work with precision, that is more involved than a machine could do economically. For instance, doing convex bevels on a CNC mill isn't very feasible... it takes a skilled craftsman to do that. Nonetheless, the finished product should still be precise, even, pleasing to the eye and most of all, perform with excellence. "Hand-made" is not an excuse for sloppiness.

Maybe I'm more anal than I thought :D
 
James,

I agree completely.

In an effort to be precise I made a template with cad, stuck it on the blade and attempted to lay out the initial lines with the template. One of the problems I had with the file work is my eye sight. I gotta get some stronger lenses so I can really see what I'm working on. Don't get me wrong. While I'm not entirely pleased with the effort I'm not entirely unhappy with it either. It's a start. I'm going to continue to practice on cheap blades before I try on something nice. What I am unhappy about is the other side doesn't look any better. So, I have a lot of practice ahead of me.

Actually what I meant about the hand done work wasn't necessarily sloppiness but that fact that hand work looks better than if it had been done to exact perfection with a machine.

As an example, the difference between hand engraving and machine engraving on a gun is striking. The hand work is not anywhere near as perfect as the machine work tho it is much prettier. The human touch is lost when done by machine. The pride an engraver puts into his work is evident. The imprecise nature of hand engraving can be seen when you compare the engraving from one side of the gun to the other. While the pattern is the same the hand engraver can't exactly match both sides as could be done by machine. I wasn't condoning sloppiness. The hand engraver lays out his pattern on the steel with pen or pencil, or carbon paper or with scribe lines and attempts to follow those lines as best he can but it still isn't perfect or as precise as could be done with a computer driven mill. I once considered buying a small mill to perform engraving on guns. I figgered I could draw some perfect patterns on CAD and transfer that to the gun with the computer controlled mill. When I saw the results I realized that it couldn't change the depth of the cuts. The computer was only capable of cutting exact, precise, perfect lines on the steel. While OK on a production piece, not that visually appealing for custom work. I'll see if I can get a photo or two of an area on one of my guns so you can see what I'm talking about.

So, again, I have to say I agree with you entirely. Sloppiness is not acceptable. I guess the reason I posted the photo was to show that I'm making an effort to move from knife assembler to knife maker. I also hope you don't think that I am being confrontational in my response. I was just trying to clarify what I meant. I do appreciate your comments. All ya'll have been very nice and supportive and encouraging and it means a lot especially since I'm just starting out. I was actually expecting more criticism about my work, even hoping for someone to point out mistakes that I need to focus on. BUT NO! :) Everyone keeps encouraging me to continue, to spend more money on supplies and equipment and keep getting more deeply involved into this. And I'm just dumb enough to keep at it.
 
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